It’s back to school week across the South Africa and, similarly, for hundreds of talented cricketers it’s back to action as Phase 2 of the boys and girls Schools SA20 gets underway this weekend.
On Monday, Northern Cape became the last of the 16 provinces to confirm their qualification for the second stage of the competition. Hoërskool Kalahari from Kuruman and Hoërskool Upington will join 30 other boys’ teams while Kuruman Hub are the 16th girls’ team through to Phase 2. The 48 teams have now been divided into 6 regions with two boys’ teams and one girls’ team from each province.
The qualifying teams per region are:
Western Cape | Boys: HS Paarl Gimnasium (Boland), Paarl Boys’ HS (Boland), Bridgton RPC (South Western Districts), D'Almeida Hub (South Western Districts), SACS HS (Western Province), Bishops Diocesan College (Western Province), Girls: HTS Drostdy (Boland), Bridgton Hub (South Western Districts), Victoria Hub (Western Province)
Eastern Cape | Boys: Selborne College (Border), Queen's College Boys’ HS (Border), Grey HS (Eastern Province), Pearson HS (Eastern Province), Mqanduli Village JSS (Kei), Jumba SSS (Kei), Girls: Stirling HS (Border), Pearson HS (Eastern Province), Nomandi JSS (Kei)
KwaZulu-Natal | Boys: Northwood School (KwaZulu-Natal Coastal), Glenwood HS (KwaZulu-Natal Coastal), Hilton College (KwaZulu-Natal Inland), Maritzburg College (KwaZulu-Natal Inland), Girls: Dr JL Dube HS (KwaZulu-Natal Coastal), Bonginhlanhla HS (KwaZulu-Natal Inland)
Central | Boys: St Andrew's School (Free State), Grey College (Free State), HS Kalahari (Northern Cape), HS Upington (Northern Cape), HS Rustenburg (North West), Potchefstroom Gimnasium (North West), Girls: Botshabelo Hub (Free State), Kuruman Hub (Northern Cape), Saints Christian School (North West)
Gauteng South | Boys: HS Noordheuwel (Central Gauteng Lions), St David’s Marist Inanda (Central Gauteng Lions), Middelburg HS (Mpumalanga), HS Secunda (Mpumalanga), Girls: Steyn City School (Central Gauteng Lions), Ligbron Academy of Technology (Mpumalanga)
Gauteng North | Boys: HS Kempton Park (Easterns), St Benedict's College (Easterns), HS Merensky (Limpopo), Phalaborwa Hub (Limpopo), Afrikaanse HS – Affies (Titans), HS Garsfontein (Titans), Girls: Kwa-Thema Hub (Easterns), Nkowankowa Hub (Limpopo), Soshanguve Hub (Titans)
SA20 League Commissioner, Graeme Smith said: "We’ve had a very successful kick off of Phase1 of the Schools SA20. It's been incredible to see the talent and enthusiasm on display from the young players. As we head into Phase 2, I'm excited to see which teams will rise to the top and which players will emerge as future stars.
"The investment we've made together with Cricket South Africa into the pipeline is crucial for the long-term success of South African cricket. A strong school pipeline is important for the wider cricket eco-system and developing players for higher honours. Players like Lhuan-dre Pretorius, who came through the school’s system and is now lighting up the SA20 and the six players of the SA U19 Women’s squad who are in Malaysia for the ICC Women's Under-19 T20 World Cup who played in the opening phase of Schools SA20, are a testament to the power of investing in our youth.”
Some of the Phase 1 highlights include the nine hub teams to have progressed to Phase 2. Of the nine, six are girls’ teams, a testament to the talent at grassroots level.
Meanwhile, SuperSport Schools, who have already streamed almost 150 Phase 1 matches spread across the country, will broadcast over 70% of the Phase 2 contests. The majority will be streamed via their App, while 16 matches are to be broadcast on their linear channel on SuperSport 216.
The Schools SA20 Finals weekend will take place at the Cricket South Africa Centre of Excellence at the Tuks Oval in Pretoria from 12-15 March where the best boys and girls SA20 Schools Champions will be crowned on Saturday 15 March.
Fixtures
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